Pay-per-connection scheme for wireless access to internet

Abstract

A pay-per-connection system is coupled to a network service provider and to a client computer. The pay-per-connection system receives payment and a passcode from a user, determines duration of use based on the payment, and provides access by the client computer to the network service provider based on the payment and the passcode without advance sign-up by the user with the network service provider.

1. A pay-per-connection system coupled to a network service provider and to a client computer provided by a user as a user provided client computer and comprising:
 a local payment terminal physically local to the pay-per-connection system and maintaining anonymity of the user by receiving payment and a passcode not identifying user information as a no user identifying passcode from the user at the local payment terminal, and transmitting a payment message and the no user identifying passcode, 
 a local service unit in communication with the user provided client computer and transmitting and receiving information, 
 an internet service unit in communication with the network service provider and transmitting and receiving information, 
 a control unit including a database, coupled to the payment terminal, to the local service unit and to the internet service interface unit, said control unit
 receiving the payment message and the no user identifying passcode from the payment terminal, 
 determining an allocation of usage of a network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider using the internet service unit based on the payment message, 
 binding the no user identifying passcode with network connection usage allocation, 
 storing a record including the no user identifying passcode and the network connection usage allocation in its database, 
 enabling access for the user provided client computer to the network service provider through the internet service unit and the local service unit for the allocated amount of usage, upon the user provided client computer communicating the no user identifying passcode and identifying information of the user provided client computer to the control unit, and 
 preventing unauthorized client computers from accessing the network service provider through the pay-per-connection system, according to a filtering of bound no user identifying passcodes and identifying information of client computers. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein the network connection between the user provided client computer and the local service unit is a wired or wireless connection which becomes available for the user provided client computer for the network connection usage allocation for an amount of connection time determined by amount of payment the user of the user provided client computer deposits into the payment terminal and a rate for network connection use set by the network service provider and other charges. 
     
     
       3. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein the network connection usage allocation is determined by data allocation which is amount of data bytes that the user sends and receives via the pay-per-connection system, which is based on amount of payment the user deposits in the payment terminal and a rate for data volume set by the network service provider and other charges. 
     
     
       4. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein the payment terminal accepts the payment in the form of at least one of cash, a phone card, or a credit card. 
     
     
       5. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein the connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider is terminated by the control unit upon exhaustion of the network connection usage allocation. 
     
     
       6. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein duration of the network connection usage allocation may be increased upon receipt of additional payment from the user by the payment terminal. 
     
     
       7. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the control unit comprising a timer which determines remaining connection time for the network connection usage allocation between the user provided client computer and the network service provider, 
 wherein when the remaining connection time reaches zero, the network connection is terminated, and when the network connection is paused by the user, the timer suspends counting, and when the network connection is resumed by the user, reduction of connection time for the network connection usage allocation continues by the timer. 
 
     
     
       8. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein the control unit comprises a counter that determines remaining data transfer allocation that can be transferred to or from the user provided client computer and the network service provider, wherein when the remaining data transfer allocation reaches zero, the network connection usage allocation is terminated. 
     
     
       9. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 ,
 wherein the identifying information of the user provided client computer is a MAC address transmitted to the service unit to request network connection service, and 
 wherein the service unit transmits the no user identifying passcode and the MAC address to the control unit, and the control unit determines whether to establish the network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider based upon if the no user identifying passcode matches with the no user identifying passcode included in any payment message received from the payment terminal and/or whether the MAC address matches a stored MAC address, and whether there is a remaining network connection usage allocation. 
 
     
     
       10. The pay-per-connect system as in  claim 1 , wherein the control unit stores a passlist of no user identifying passcodes for which the network connection is permitted and includes a firewall including a list of allowable MAC addresses which correspond to the passlist of no user identifying passcodes, and the control unit provides permission to establish the network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider through the firewall by placing the MAC address of the user provided client computer on the allowable list. 
     
     
       11. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , further comprising a web server interfacing to the user provided client computer to let the client computer supply the no user identifying passcode to the pay-per-connection system when a network connection is requested. 
     
     
       12. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 1 , wherein the network connection between the user provided client computer and the local service unit is a wireless connection. 
     
     
       13. The pay-per-connection system as in  claim 12 , wherein the wireless connection is provided by a Wi-Fi access point. 
     
     
       14. A method of providing a pay-per-connection service by a business for establishing a network connection from a client computer provided by a user as a user provided client computer to a network service provider on a pay-per-connection basis, comprising:
 providing a payment terminal physically local at the business, and maintaining anonymity of the user by receiving, at the payment terminal, from the user a passcode not identifying user information as a no user identifying passcode and a payment, and from the user provided client computer identifying information; and 
 connecting, by a pay-per-connection system physically local at the business, the user provided computer to the network service provider by:
 determining a network connection usage allocation based on amount of the payment; 
 binding the no user identifying passcode with the network connection usage allocation; and 
 establishing, by the pay-per-connection system, the network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider for the network connection usage allocation bound to the no user identifying passcode, based on the network connection usage allocation, the no user identifying passcode, and the identifying information of the user provided client computer, without advance sign-up by the user with the network service provider. 
 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising preventing unauthorized client computers from accessing the network service provider through the pay-per-connection system, according to a filtering of bound no user identifying passcodes and identifying information of client computers. 
     
     
       16. The method as in  claim 14 , wherein the network connection is a wireless connection, said method further comprising:
 determining availability of the wireless connection based upon if there is any remaining connection time for the network connection usage allocation for the wireless connection which becomes available for the user provided client computer by amount of money the user deposits into the payment terminal and a rate for network connection set by the network service provider. 
 
     
     
       17. The method as in  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining availability of the wireless connection based upon data allocation which is amount of data bytes that the user sends and receives via the pay-per-connection system, which is based on the amount of money the user deposits into the payment terminal and a rate for data allocation set by the network service provider. 
 
     
     
       18. The method as in  claim 14 , further comprising terminating by the pay-per-connection system the network connection upon exhaustion of the network connection usage allocation. 
     
     
       19. The method as in  claim 18 , wherein the termination of the network connection comprises deleting by the pay-per-connection system the no user identifying passcode and its associate network connection usage allocation from the pay-per-connection system. 
     
     
       20. The method as in  claim 14 , further comprising extending by the pay-per-connection system the network connection usage allocation by additional payment by the user. 
     
     
       21. The method as in  claim 14 , further comprising permitting the user to pause reduction of the network connection usage allocation by the pay-per-connection system during the network connection. 
     
     
       22. The method as in  claim 14 , wherein the receiving comprising receiving by the payment terminal the payment by at least one of cash, phone card, or credit card. 
     
     
       23. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program executable by a computer system including a payment terminal physically local to the computer system and causing the computer system to execute functions of establishing a network connection from a client computer provided by a user as a user provided client computer to a network service provider on a pay-per-connection basis, according to operations comprising:
 maintaining anonymity of the user by receiving, at the payment terminal, from the user a passcode not identifying user information as a no user identifying passcode and a payment, and from the user provided client computer identifying information; 
 determining connection usage allocation based on the amount of the payment; 
 binding the no user identifying passcode with the usage allocation; 
 establishing the network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider for the usage allocated to the no user identifying passcode, based on the connection usage allocation, the no user identifying passcode, and the identifying information of the user provided client computer, without advance sign-up by the user with the network service provider. 
 
     
     
       24. The medium of  claim 23 , further comprising preventing other unauthorized computers from accessing the network service provider through the computer system, according to a filtering of bound no user identifying passcodes and identifying information of client computers. 
     
     
       25. The medium as in  claim 23 , wherein the network connection is a wireless connection, said operations further comprising:
 determining availability of the wireless connection based upon if there is any remaining connection time for the network connection usage allocation for said wireless connection which becomes available for the user provided client computer by amount of money the user deposits at the computer system and a rate for network connection set by the network service provider. 
 
     
     
       26. The medium as in  claim 23 , the operations further comprising:
 determining availability of the wireless connection based upon data allocation which is amount of data bytes that the user sends and receives via the computer system, which is based on the amount of money the user deposits into the computer system and a rate for data allocation set by the network service provider. 
 
     
     
       27. The medium as in  claim 23 , the operations further terminating by the computer system the network connection upon exhaustion of the network connection usage allocation. 
     
     
       28. The medium as in  claim 27 , wherein the termination of the network connection comprises deleting by the computer system the no user identifying passcode and its associate network connection usage allocation from the computer system. 
     
     
       29. The medium as in  claim 23 , the operations further comprising extending by the computer system the network connection usage allocation by additional payment by the user. 
     
     
       30. The medium as in  claim 23 , the operations further permitting the user to pause a reduction of the network connection usage allocation during the network connection. 
     
     
       31. The medium as in  claim 24 , wherein the receiving of the payment comprises receiving by the computer system the payment by at least one of cash, phone card, or credit card. 
     
     
       32. A pay-per-connection computer establishing a network connection from a client computer provided by a user as a user provided client computer to a network service provider on a pay-per-connection basis, comprising:
 a payment terminal; and 
 a control unit
 maintaining anonymity of the user by receiving, at the payment terminal, from the user of the user provided client computer a passcode not identifying user information as a no user identifying passcode and a payment, and from the user provided client computer identifying information; 
 determining network connection usage allocation based on amount of the payment; 
 binding the no user identifying passcode with the network connection allocation usage and 
 establishing the network connection between the user provided client computer and the network service provider based on the network connection usage allocation, the no user identifying passcode, and the identifying information of the user provided client computer, without advance sign-up by the user with the network service provider. 
 
 
     
     
       33. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising requesting by the user a refund of a remaining portion of the payment corresponding to an unused portion of the network connection usage allocation.